Off-road utility vehicles are often equipped with cargo boxes for carrying various items including tools, supplies, or bulk materials. A cargo box may be unloaded by raising the front of the box and tilting the box to dump the material rearwardly. Additionally, utility vehicles may have drive and operational components located beneath the cargo box, requiring tilting the box to provide access for service and/or maintenance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,780 entitled “Box Latch and Prop Rod” relates to a prop rod that quickly and easily secures the cargo box in its elevated or tilted position for unloading of material. When the operator raises the cargo box, the angle of force through the rod from the box urges the lower end of the rod into a seat or notch in a slot or track in the utility vehicle frame. The rod then secures the box in its tilted or upright position. To unfasten the rod and lower the box, the operator moves the lower end of the rod out of the seat or slot, allowing it to slide along the track until it reaches the end of the track. Once the box is lowered, the rod secures the box in its horizontal position during transport and operation.
Additionally, to assist in lifting a utility vehicle cargo box, a gas cylinder may be connected between the frame and box. The gas cylinder may help lift the box up toward the raised or tilted position, but may not provide enough support to hold the box securely in that position. As a result, a prop rod also may be needed as a secondary limit on the open angle of the cargo box, so there will be no load path through the gas cylinder.
However, a utility vehicle operator may prefer not to use a prop rod to support the cargo box every time he or she raises the box. For example, an operator may prefer not to use a prop rod when he or she raises the cargo box briefly to dump material. A prop rod is needed for a utility vehicle cargo box that an operator can use on demand.